2018 was an extremely successful year for the design studio at Buffalo 7, and the agency is proud to announce that a new Board of Directors has been appointed.
Last year, Buffalo 7 shifted its focus and reimagined its mission statement to truly encapsulate the evolved, bigger, and better Buffalo 7 organisation.
In addition to creating presentations for some of the world’s top brands, Buffalo 7 expanded its remit to help Manchester businesses of all sizes to improve their presentation skills at free events.
The company also hosted local ‘7 Stories’ events, empowering the community to talk about how they’ve overcome adversity, and took part in fundraising activities for its charity partner, Manchester Mind.
Celebrating success, such as landing new major clients, for example New York City based L’Oréal, Buffalo 7 also opened their new office in London, Soho Square.
All of this hard work was recognised by the Amazon Growing Business Awards, who announced Buffalo 7 as ‘Creative Industries Business of the Year’.
Buffalo 7 has major plans in place to continue to grow, and expand internationally. In order to keep the momentum going, and focus on the growth of the team, the presentation agency decided to promote from within the company, to form their Board.
Each of the new Board members brings their own expertise, drive and ideas to the conference room table. The diversity of backgrounds allows Buffalo 7 to have every angle covered.
The new board directors are: Michelle Sussams, Creative Director, Felicity Chivers, Account Director, Chris Tomlin, Communications Director, Gary Corrin, Client Service Director, Terry Barnes, Finance Director and Richard Barnes Managing Director.
Michelle Sussams, Creative Director, has worked in almost every area of design think of, from print to art direction to web and social media, and her knowledge is second to none.
Having such a young team of designers and developers at Buffalo 7 means that the agency has no end of energy or ideas, but Michelle keeps the team grounded with her incredible eye for detail and the ‘how’ behind the grand plans. It’s the perfect partnership.
She said, “Becoming a member of the board at Buffalo 7 is an exciting opportunity. We have a very talented team of creatives, and to be given the opportunity to help shape the agency’s creative direction is a rewarding challenge.”
Felicity Chivers, Account Director, developed the Project Management team and oversaw its impressive growth. Now, her new position on the Board allows her to concentrate on evaluating every tiny project process - from brief to delivery - to ensure it is as efficient as possible. Felicity is set on improving the client journey more and more every day, building stronger, longer-lasting relationships along the way.
Chivers said: “We’re committed to clear, open and meaningful communication with clients - it’s what our Project Management team has been founded on. My new position within the Board gives me the opportunity to develop our relationships with wonderful clients, and develop the team to help make sure we’re doing it in the best ways.”
Chris Tomlin, Communications Director, is not only dedicated to making sure Buffalo 7 tells clients’ stories in the most impactful way, but also to ensuring the wow factor extends to the Buffalo 7 story as well, heading up the Marketing department. “Communications are an essential part of the Buffalo 7 package,” said Tomlin. “We’ve worked hard in the Storytelling team to transpose our clients’ messages into clear, compelling narratives, so it makes perfect sense for us to apply this to our own stories within Marketing too.”
Gary Corrin, Client Services Director, has a unique knowledge of Buffalo 7 from the client’s point of view. Gary’s focus is on providing the studio with a solid pipeline of projects to keep their thumbs from twiddling, and making sure the team blows clients’ minds with everything they deliver. “As a business, we have some major plans in store for the near future,” said Corrin. “But that only comes when we know that we have a secure framework of clients – both new and those coming back for more. The appointment of a Board means that together, we can focus on the future, continuing to deliver amazing projects, time and time again.”
Terry Barnes, Finance Director, is the strong yet silent type. Terry keeps the company in check. Following his previous role in computer programming, he actually retired momentarily, before joining Buffalo 7.
Richard Barnes, Managing Director, the founder of Buffalo 7, commented: “Following a really successful year for Buffalo 7, it was time to look to the future. To ensure success continued, and to enable Buffalo 7's transition into growth opportunities, we introduced a new Board of Directors that would deliver balance, structure and proven expertise across the business.
“We have strong ambitions to grow into new markets, to broaden our services, and develop and grow our wonderful team. With the Board in place, we are looking forward to a strong and healthy future for the business.”
